Credit: The Associated Press

Pittsburgh Penguins' Jussi Jokinen (36) celebrates his goal with teammates in the first period of a first-round NHL playoff hockey game against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, April 16, 2014.

PITTSBURGH — Columbus coach Todd Richards insists his upstart team isn't in the playoffs "just to go to school."

Maybe, but the Pittsburgh Penguins provided a pretty valuable lesson in perseverance during a 4-3 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday night.

Down two after 21 minutes of slow and sometimes sloppy hockey, the Metropolitan Division champions responded by scoring the final three goals, including Brandon Sutter's go-ahead wrist shot 8:18 into the third period.